UNO Archives - Only in Nebraska

Preparing Tomorrow’s STEM Professionals

July 23, 2025 by Katie Squier

Trustees Provide Essential Support for STEM Education

When the Durham Science Center opened on the west end of the University of Nebraska at Omaha campus in 1987, it was a state-of-the-art facility housing three floors of new classrooms and laboratories plus a planetarium open to the public.

However, building codes, mechanical systems and even instructional best practices all changed over time. Melanie Bloom, Ph.D., dean of UNO’s College of Arts and Sciences, said after nearly 40 years the center needed some essential updates.

In 2024, thanks to both public funding and philanthropic support, UNO completed a $35 million transformation of the Durham Science Center — a major milestone in Only in Nebraska: A Campaign for Our University’s Future. The renovated facility now offers interactive and collaborative hands-on STEM learning experiences for students of all ages. Durham Science Center is state of the art once again.

“The new spaces are designed for more active learning and collaboration,” Bloom said. “Now that we have student study spaces, it is a super-active building. There are mobile whiteboards that allow students to work on math and physics problems between classes.”

“It has a totally different energy than it used to have, and that’s one of the major improvements I see in the space,” she added. “I knew there was potential when we looked at the designs, but to see it actually meet that potential is really exciting.”

STEM education is a top fundraising priority for the Only in Nebraska campaign and UNO. Last fall, the university unveiled the STEM Teaching, Research, and Inquiry-based Learning (STEM TRAIL) Center, an 8,400-square-foot facility in Roskens Hall. The center is designed to foster innovative STEM education and research and offers technology-driven classrooms and spaces for students and the community.

The STEM TRAIL Center is part of UNO’s broader ONE STEM initiative, which aims to grow the STEM workforce across the state. According to UNO research, the U.S. will need several million new college graduates in STEM in the years to come. Nebraska reflects this national trend with a projected 48,000 new STEM positions expected to be left unfilled.

Trustee support has significantly advanced STEM education at UNO in several areas of study. The Holland Foundation, founded by the late Dick and Mary Holland, who were longtime trustees, recently established the John Lewis Holland Endowed Chair in Industrial Organizational Psychology, named for Dick Holland’s brother. John Lewis Holland was an American psychologist, professor emeritus at Johns Hopkins University and a graduate of Omaha University (now UNO).

I’ve seen programs and opportunities at UNO for interdisciplinary learning expand into exciting new STEM fields. The students provide the passion and effort.

Lou Anne Rinn, J.D.

Lou Anne Rinn, J.D., a University of Nebraska Foundation Trustee and volunteer on the Only in Nebraska campaign committee for the UNO College of Arts and Sciences, has established scholarships that support STEM and liberal arts majors in the College of Arts and Sciences. Rinn helped create the Cross the Finish Line Scholarship, which supports students who are close to completing their degrees but need additional financial support due to unexpected or exceptional circumstances.

“Every year I hear about dozens of A&S students with the Crossing the Finish Line scholarships finishing their degrees and planning to work or get advanced degrees in molecular or biomedical biology, environmental science, neuroscience, medical humanities or medical school and more,” Rinn said. “Others are preparing to teach math or science to high school students. They are eager to apply what they have learned at UNO to tackle the problems we face.”

Rinn also created a scholarship for returning students, which she said helps those compelled to drop out due to lack of resources or other demands on their time and energy, such as supporting their families. Those types of funds are particularly helpful in advancing the STEM workforce, where Nebraska experiences what is dubbed a “leaky pipeline.” The number of students pursuing STEM studies and careers steadily declines from middle and high school to college and postgraduate studies. Nebraska ranks 36th in the country in terms of college STEM graduates.

Rinn said philanthropic support of UNO’s STEM programs and students can help improve those numbers.

“I find it rewarding to support students,” Rinn said, “particularly by digitizing course materials, which has a multiplier effect and saves them thousands of dollars per year. Funding scholarships allows them to explore related fields, such as geology and environmental science, or to consider graduate degrees to further develop their skills.”

Kara Schweiss contributed to this article.

The Joy of Giving

June 3, 2025 by Katie Squier

A Q&A with Ruth Scott, one of the most transformational and generous donors in University of Nebraska history

At a recent foundation event, you spoke about the “joy of giving.” What gives you joy in your philanthropy, and how does that guide your decisions?

Joy is definitely the right word. My husband, Bill, was a great believer in the idea that if you follow that feeling of joy, the right things will fall into place. At our foundation (William and Ruth Scott Family Foundation), we have tried to find causes that give us joy — whether that comes from getting to know the people involved and the amazing work they do or knowing that our support will help make our community a better place to live or change someone’s life. We have always believed that wealth is best shared with others, and we’ve looked for ways that we can make a big difference for Omaha and Nebraska. And we’ve had a lot of fun giving our money away!

“Giving back is one of the greatest gifts of life. I hope the next generation gets as much joy from it as I have.”

Ruth Scott

What are a couple of your favorite stories regarding philanthropic investments you have made at the university?

There have been so many, it’s hard to choose. But I will say one that stands out was helping to build a student space at UNMC. I remember hearing from a student who said she only knew about four people from her time at UNMC, because there was no place to study or eat together. So, we helped to fund this beautiful space with an ice rink and a grove of trees where the students could all be together and get to know each other. I think that really made a difference in how students experienced their education.

Another one that stands out is at UNO, where I got to meet one of my favorite people, Dr. Nick Stergiou, who is the head of the biomechanics division. We first heard him speak at a foundation event in Palm Springs. I didn’t know anything about biomechanics, and it was fascinating to hear about the work he was doing. But he told us he could do so much more if he “just had more room!” So, in December 2011, I worked with the foundation to arrange a birthday lunch for Nick, and his birthday gift just happened to be a biomechanics building. Shortly after the building was built, biomechanics received a national grant of $10 million, and in 2024 it received another one for $11 million. When you can give somebody a building and bring in that many million dollars of federal money, that’s bang for your buck.

Our Bodies in Motion

May 29, 2025 by Katie Squier

When was the last time you thought about walking? Not just enjoying a stroll outside or the joy of stretching your legs, but the actual, complex mechanics involved in walking. Watching a toddler attempt it for the first time is a reminder of just how tricky it is.

At the University of Nebraska at Omaha, using highly advanced computer models and technology, scientists are studying the intricate mechanics of movement and the varied implications on our health.

“We perform calculations to determine forces at the ankle, the knee, the hip and other parts of the body to understand how people control their movement. May they potentially be at risk for injury or is there presence of chronic disease?” said David Kingston, Ph.D., an assistant professor of biomechanics at UNO.

Kingston’s team has partnered with Children’s Nebraska to help kids with cerebral palsy and other physical disabilities to help plan surgical interventions and worked with local physicians to develop advanced prosthetics for children and adults.

Those applications likely make intuitive sense when you hear the word “biomechanics.” But the scientists at UNO are concerned not only with what’s happening on the outside of our bodies but also with the systems that keep us moving on the inside.

“With this new expansion, UNO will have the space to bring together the greatest minds in cardiovascular science, medicine and biomechanics.”

Nikolaos “Nick” Stergiou, Ph.D.

Cardiovascular Biomechanics

Posted on the wall outside a wet lab in the Biomechanics Research Building is a diagram of a human leg with a web of arteries that stretch through its soft tissues. In the diagram, the knee is bent, which shows a dramatic crimping of the primary artery as the movement forces it to bend and twist in response.

This crimping presents a challenge for the roughly 12 million people in the U.S. who suffer from peripheral arterial disease, a condition in which arteries supplying blood to the lower limbs become narrowed or blocked. A common treatment for PAD, which is associated with an increased risk of heart attack and stroke, is the placement of a metal stent. However, stents are significantly less flexible than arteries and can fail over time in the dynamic environment of the human body. As a result, many PAD patients require repeat interventions, additional stent placements or amputations.

“Developing a better treatment method and a better treatment device for these patients is critical to both improve their quality of life and also to reduce the economic burden associated with these repeat interventions,” said Alexey Kamenskiy, Ph.D., director of the Center for Cardiovascular Research in Biomechanics.

In partnership with physicians at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Kamenskiy’s team has developed a stent engineered to be compatible with the natural flexion and movement of the arteries in the limbs and to have more stretch capacity than commonly used versions today. The goal is to reduce the need for repeat surgical interventions and improve long-term outcomes for patients with PAD.

Kamenskiy’s work will improve its own stretch capacity when it moves into a new addition, for which a groundbreaking ceremony was held May 29. Supported by principal benefactors Ruth Scott and the William and Ruth Scott Family Foundation, the 19,000-square-foot expansion marks the third phase of development supporting UNO Biomechanics’ rapid growth and rising national prominence.

“With this new expansion, UNO will have the space to bring together the greatest minds in cardiovascular science, medicine and biomechanics,” said Nikolaos “Nick” Stergiou, Ph.D., director of the Division of Biomechanics and Research Development and Distinguished Community Research Chair in Biomechanics. “Our research team will be able to continue pushing the boundaries of science to solve health challenges like PAD — and save lives in the process.”

A Legacy of Hope

May 27, 2025 by Katie Squier

One Donor’s Mission to Support Students with Learning Disabilities

By Robyn Murray

While Margaret Kennedy was working as a teaching assistant in California, she met a young boy named Harvey.

“He was the sweetest, kindest kid you would ever want to see,” Margaret recalled. Margaret was teaching a reading group with about a dozen students, including Harvey. On the first day of class, another student looked over at him and said, “Oh, this must be the dumb group, because Harvey’s in here.”

Nearly 60 years later, Margaret still remembers Harvey’s face, as clearly as if it had happened yesterday.

“That kid was just crushed, right in front of me,” she said. “It made such an impression on me. And I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know anything about learning disabilities or what was going on. I didn’t have the background.”

After working with Harvey, Margaret realized he had a memory processing disorder — she would work with him one day and he’d be right on target, but the next day he’d have forgotten everything he learned. Margaret was determined to help him.

“I never forgot it,” Margaret said. “I wanted to go back to school to address problems like that, so that children don’t have to be abused and bullied because of something that they have no control over.”

“I credit the success of my journey to the outstanding instruction and opportunities afforded me by UNO.”

Margaret Kennedy

Margaret’s passion led her to enroll at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. While she had already begun her education at Temple University in Philadelphia, where she grew up, she hadn’t completed her studies because her husband, who served in the armed forces, was frequently transferred. But by 1974, at age 38, she had settled in Omaha and was determined to pursue her calling with no further interruptions. In 1976, she successfully completed her bachelor’s degree in elementary education and started teaching second grade at Minne Lusa Elementary School in Omaha.

A few years later, Margaret pursued her master’s degree, majoring in both reading and learning disabilities. She then taught English and reading at Burke High School before moving to California and continuing to teach there.

Throughout her 30-year career, Margaret established specialized reading programs and developed hands-on teaching techniques, such as writing words in clay to establish muscle memory. In California, she taught elementary school and then English and reading at the high school and community college levels.

“High school is often the last chance for at-risk students to become successful adults,” Margaret said, “and language instruction is the key to helping them succeed.”

As a mentor teacher, Margaret counseled other staff members in techniques to reach struggling students. She helped hundreds of students and was recognized for her success with a promotion to department chair.

“I credit the success of my journey to the outstanding instruction and opportunities afforded me by UNO,” Margaret said, adding that the practical experience she received at UNO gave her a strong foundation that was lacking among teachers in California.

Today, 20 years retired, Margaret is continuing her lifelong passion for helping others by establishing an estate gift to support special education students at UNO. The Margaret Z. Kennedy Special Education Scholarship Fund provides scholarship support for students who are passionate about helping children with learning disabilities, ensuring that Margaret’s vital work to help students like Harvey continues with the next generation.

“I want to do something that’s going to help somebody who really needs it,” Margaret said. “That’s my motivation.”

Dick Holland’s Support Mirrors His Passions

November 15, 2024 by Katie Squier

By Steve Jordon

Celebrating the Arts

Separated by time, Dick Holland and Da’Von George are connected by their shared passion for art and communications — the late Holland, an Omaha advertising industry titan and Omaha University art graduate, and George, a future graphic designer.

Another connection: George is an inaugural recipient of a scholarship endowed by the family foundation of Holland and his wife, Mary. George will complete his bachelor’s degree in December at the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s College of Communication, Fine Arts and Media.

The Holland Foundation’s gift adds $2.5 million to a scholarship fund supporting students studying arts and communication. The UNO Richard Holland Endowed Scholarship Fund helps students like George, who is the first in his family to go to college and serves as a role model in his community. George coaches basketball and mentors boys in Omaha’s NorthStar program, which aims to support young men in North Omaha.

“A lot of these kids are asking me how to find scholarships and other questions about college,” he said. “It’s always good to get it into their heads that college is an option.”

After graduation, George aims to pursue freelance graphic design logos. He and his brother recently started a clothing business.

“I love to do anything creative and love to create logos and design,” George said.

George has merged his passion for art with his love of skateboarding and recently created live art at an event hosted by SkateFest, an Omaha nonprofit whose mission is to develop skate culture for the Omaha inner city.

George said he is grateful for the support he received from the Holland Foundation. “It is so meaningful for me to not have the financial burden,” George said. “I feel honored to be an inaugural recipient of this scholarship.”

Da’Von George and his brother, Ira George Jr., developed and designed a clothing brand called From the Rejected, and Da’Von George is doing freelance design work, such as creating business logos.

Melissa Berke, Ph.D., associate dean of the UNO College of Communication, Fine Arts and Media, said affording college is nearly impossible for some students. “We talk about the economic mobility that a college education provides,” she said, “and to have scholarships that provide that opportunity for students to graduate without enormous amounts of debt is amazing.”

The Holland Scholarship recipients, in turn, will impact their classmates. “The collaboration that happens between students who may not be as advantaged can broaden everyone’s lifetime experiences,” Berke said.

Advocating for Public Health

Dick Holland’s passion for health equity, reflected in a recent $2 million gift from his family foundation that established a presidential chair at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, already is seeding two high-potential efforts to save lives.

“We are innovative and we’re impatient,” said Ali S. Khan, M.D., dean of UNMC’s College of Public Health and the first holder of the Richard D. Holland Presidential Chair in Public Health, an endowed fund that provides Khan more than $80,000 a year for innovative work in improving community health.

“I spend all my time thinking about how to make Nebraska the healthiest state in the union,” Khan said. “It was not surprising Dick Holland wanted to help, given his passion for social justice and public health.”

Guided by Holland’s interest in children’s issues, Khan directed part of the chair’s first-year proceeds toward an academic-private industry health coalition that aims to reduce maternal and infant mortality in Nebraska and eliminate heath inequity.

He also is funding development of a K-12 curriculum, including an online game called Zoodemic, dealing with public health and agricultural pathogens such as avian flu. Goals include supporting healthy behaviors while working with animals at state and county agricultural fairs and starting public health clubs in every school.

Larger national grants will finance these programs’ long-term growth across the nation and could yield significant impact, Khan said.

“That’s what the Holland money does,” Khan said. “It gives us seed money for a small project that will move forward to a much larger project to catalyze good change.”

‘Teaching is My Calling’

November 14, 2024 by Katie Squier

By Susan Houston Klaus

Wheeler Elementary School teacher Emily Lorenzen loves that her 26 second-graders are so eager to learn and try new things. The Millard Public Schools teacher has felt the same connection to the classroom since she was not much older than her students are.

“My aunt was my preschool teacher, and in elementary, middle and high school, I would always go back to her classroom on days that I had off and just help out with whatever her class was doing,” Lorenzen said.

The University of Nebraska at Omaha graduate, who recently earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees, always thought she would have a career in the classroom.

“I just knew that teaching was my calling,” she said.

Lorenzen also has benefited from being a UNO Teacher Scholars Academy student at the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences. The donor-supported academy, also offered at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, provides scholarships and prepares students for teaching careers in the local community through experiential learning. A cohort-based program, the academy was created to address the immediate need for educators and grow the teacher workforce in the state.

Lorenzen said the scholarships provided by the academy have made a world of difference.

“I didn’t have to have the stress of finances and how I was going to afford college,” Lorenzen said. “I just feel very grateful, because I don’t have any loans to pay off. The scholarship also provided me with money to provide supplies for my classroom last year, which was really helpful to making my classroom how I wanted it to be.”

The first cohorts for the Teacher Scholars Academy started in 2019. Since it began, the UNO TSA has enrolled 114 teacher scholars, with a retention rate of 87%. The UNL TSA has enrolled 156 students, with a 91% overall retention rate.

“What is impressive to me is the quality of students TSA attracts and to watch these students grow into critical-thinking, empathetic and sophisticated teacher leaders,” said Braden Foreman-Black, UNL Teacher Scholars Academy coordinator. “Now that we are seeing the payoff of these students now teaching in Nebraska schools, I cannot be prouder of ways we can continue to push the field of teaching to meet the current demands of schools.”

Teacher Scholars Academy graduate Paul Pechous earned his bachelor’s degree in education and special education from UNL in 2024. Today, he’s a special education teacher at North Ridge Middle School in Elkhorn Public Schools. Pechous said building lasting connections with his cohort community has played a key role in reinforcing his decision to become an educator. Those supportive relationships have continued, as graduates helped each other prepare for their first semester of classes last fall.

“I think having a group of like-minded people has been transformative, and it’s reassured me that teaching is what I was meant to do and what I’m supposed to do,” Pechous said.

UNO’s FNBO Code Studio Mirrors Professional Workspaces

September 17, 2024 by Katie Squier

By Sara Badura

Ashita Abraham, a junior double-majoring in cybersecurity and computer science at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, spends a lot of time working independently on her coursework.

So, she welcomed the interactive format in her Introduction to Mathematical Proofs class, a one-credit, six-week course she took in the spring of 2024. Instead of in a typical classroom, she found herself in the FNBO Code Studio.

Located on the second floor of the Peter Kiewit Institute building on UNO’s Scott Campus, the FNBO Code Studio serves as a space for computer science students to connect and collaborate with classmates. The studio opened in fall 2023, supported by a generous gift from FNBO (First National Bank of Omaha). An outdated computer lab was refurbished and transformed into a modern tech space, with oval tables, docking stations and whiteboards.

FNBO also made a gift through the University of Nebraska Foundation to create an endowed scholarship to assist students pursuing a degree in the College of Information Science & Technology.

“I loved the whole setup of the Code Studio, which is, when compared to normal classrooms, much more engaging,” Abraham said. “We even had a couple of small TVs and TV screens where students at each and every table could see what the professor was projecting.”

Students and faculty alike appreciate the design of the FNBO Code Studio, said Mahadevan Subramaniam (Subu), Ph.D., professor and chair of the Computer Science Department at UNO. Subu had his first opportunity to teach in the code studio as the instructor leading the Introduction to Mathematical Proofs course.

“At UNO, we talk in terms of small class sizes and having a very nice faculty-to-student ratio,” Subu said. “That’s really important because computer science programs at some institutions across the country have huge classes with hundreds of students.”

UNO prides itself on providing an excellent computer science education while also giving students opportunities for small group and individual experiences, he said.

The FNBO Code Studio provides an ideal learning environment while helping prepare students for their future professional careers, Subu said. Computer science studies often involve individual work, but collaborating with others is crucial to success in the field.

“I think that this kind of an environment makes the transition into the workforce a little bit easier because you’re used to talking to small groups,” Subu said. “You interact with small groups, and you know how to express your ideas.”

Thomas Minnich, a UNO senior majoring in computer science, was another student in Subu’s mathematical proofs class in the FNBO Code Studio. He said about half his time in the class was spent working on group projects. The tech-friendly space made it easy for students to plug in their laptops and share their projects on monitors around the room.

Minnich said the FNBO Code Studio is a “great collaborative space” that encourages interactions like those he expects to find in the professional world.

This summer, he completed an internship in software development. In the life cycle of developing code, he said, time is invested early to talk about ideas and make design decisions “before you even start to write the code.”

“Having that social interaction really helps prepare you for real-world challenges when it comes to IT and software development, where a lot of time is spent talking to people,” Minnich said.

Once a Goodricher, Always a Goodricher

July 19, 2024 by Katie Squier

Trustee Gives Back to Storied Scholarship

By Robyn Murray

For Larry Bradley, scholarship support was the chance he needed. Growing up in a modest neighborhood in North Omaha, Bradley’s father was a truck driver and his mother worked in the public school system. Neither had attended college, but they made sure their children knew college was their future.

Not going was not an option, Bradley said, although how to pay for it was less clear.

“None of us could afford to attend school without significant assistance and financial aid,” he said. “We definitely needed that as a family.”

Bradley worked full time while attending the University of Nebraska at Omaha — enrolling in summer school and night classes to fit the coursework around work schedules. Bradley ticked off several jobs he held from middle school through college: caddie at the Omaha Country Club; dishwasher; busser; and bank teller. “You name it, I did it,” he said.

Working helped Bradley pay for living expenses and other essentials. But to cover his tuition, he received assistance from a storied institution that proved to be a crucial lifeline: the Goodrich Scholarship Program.

Established in 1972 through legislation championed by Nebraska Sen. Glenn Goodrich, the Goodrich Scholarship Program provides tuition assistance for high-achieving, first-generation students with financial need. It also provides robust support services, which Bradley leaned on.

“I relied on Goodrich to mentor me through school,” Bradley said. “I developed really tight relationships with the Goodrich professors. The overall family of support that Goodrich provided was pretty remarkable, especially for a young struggling kid.”

Goodrich requires students to complete a two-year humanities and social science curriculum that emphasizes cultural and intellectual diversity. Bradley said the courses were some of his favorites at UNO, and the program’s emphasis on diversity provided valuable perspective.

“It really did give me a very broad, diverse outlook,” Bradley said. “I personally support a wide variety of philanthropic causes that are devoted to first-generation college students and students of color and individuals with diverse backgrounds. It’s very important to me, and I think a lot of that perspective was formed as a result of my experience at Goodrich.”

The support Goodrich provided and the experience of juggling multiple priorities laid the groundwork for a successful career. Bradley, who is a University of Nebraska Foundation Trustee, currently oversees 90,000 employees as global head of audit at KPMG International, where he has worked for more than 40 years.

In gratitude for that success, Bradley has given back to the Goodrich program for decades, supporting supplemental funds for textbooks and summer school courses that are not covered by the state-funded scholarship. Recently, he established an endowed professorship, which he hopes will help ensure the long-term sustainability of the program. Student access and success and creating new endowed professorships are top priorities of the Only in Nebraska campaign.

Graduates of the Goodrich program have gone on to become lawyers, educators, doctors, artists and business professionals. Bradley said Goodrich offers the means for students from all backgrounds to succeed.

“If there’s a way to break out of a cycle of poverty and to really make a difference,” Bradley said, “there’s no question that having scholarship support to allow students to achieve a college degree is critical to making that a possibility.”

Medical Students Inspired to Make a Difference

June 10, 2024 by Katie Squier

The three students all say they received mentorship and support from the Scott Scholars Program at UNO, and now as part of UNMC’s inaugural class

By Connie White

Ryan Chapman wants to help others, so he hopes someday to be an internal medicine physician or study infectious diseases.

Heather Richard feels drawn to pediatric hematology and oncology because she loves working with children.

Nour Elrokhsi is exploring a career as a primary care physician because she has personally witnessed how health care can change lives.

Chapman, Richard and Elrokhsi, all from the Omaha area, are medical students at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. All three say their interest in health care stems from a desire to make a difference in the world. And all three credit the Scott Scholars Program with providing mentorship and support to inspire their future health care careers.

The Suzanne & Walter Scott Foundation pledged $23 million to sustain and grow the prestigious Scott Scholars Program at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, where it was established by the late Omaha philanthropist Walter Scott, Jr. The gift commitment also supports an expansion of the program to UNMC, where 12 Scott Scholars began their first year of medical school in fall 2023.

Chapman, Richard and Elrokhsi all are graduates of the UNO Scott Scholars Program, launched in 1997 to help keep high-achieving STEM students in Nebraska. The three also are members of the inaugural class of Scott Scholars at UNMC.

Here are their stories:

Ryan Chapman

Chapman, who graduated from Skutt Catholic High School, said that when he arrived at UNO, he planned to become a computer programmer. Then he did a computer science internship with a local company between his freshman and sophomore years. He had a good experience but decided he wanted a career where he could make a more personal impact.

That fall, he enrolled in more science courses and volunteered for the Omaha VA Medical Center.

“I decided that I wanted a job where I’m able to directly work with and help other people,” he said. “I think the Scott Scholars Program helped me to think about it.”

He said his path to medical school was a direct result of leadership classes he took in the Scott Scholars Program, along with the mentorship of Harnoor Dhaliwal, Ph.D., and Wayne Watkins, the leaders of the program.

“The Scott Scholars Program has challenged me to think beyond what I imagined for myself and encouraged me to find a career where I can impact the lives of others,” Chapman said. “I know UNMC will train me to be a great physician.”

Heather Richard

Richard, who graduated from Bellevue West High School, said she has always been interested in the human body and science. Through volunteer opportunities and clinical experiences at UNO, she set a goal to become a physician.

“I have a profound desire to make an impact on patients’ lives,” Richard said.

She said the Scott Scholars Program provided her with a sense of community and made her UNO undergraduate experience enjoyable. Growing up, she was shy and introverted. The program’s leaders helped her step out of her shell and develop communication skills and grow her confidence. She also learned that there are different kinds of leaders.

“You can be a leader even if you’re more quiet and more introverted,” Richard said.

She recalled meeting Walter Scott, Jr., during a reception while a UNO student.

“I remember he treated us with kindness and with so much respect,” she said. “We were a part of his community and his family, in a way.”

After she finishes her training, Richard said, she hopes to practice medicine in Nebraska.

“My family is here,” she said. “I want to be involved in this community and serve Nebraska.”

Nour Elrokhsi

Elrokhsi, who graduated from Millard North High School, said she always knew she wanted to work in health care. Her parents are physicians, so she learned early on the power of health care to change lives.

“Medicine has been something I’ve been around my whole life,” she said.

Through the Scott Scholars Program, she worked with the Munroe-Meyer Institute to propose design ideas for its dental clinic. Working with a team of students that included Richard, the group offered ideas to make neurodivergent patients more comfortable, including adjustments to lighting, images on the projector screens, and even the texture on the exam chairs.

Elrokhsi said primary care is an umbrella term for a host of specialties, including pediatrics, internal medicine and family medicine. She said another area of interest is psychiatry.

“I like the personal aspects of these specialties,” she said. “You get to know your patients, and they become friends.”

She is “just incredibly grateful” for the scholarship assistance she has received through the Scott Scholars Program and for the mentorship and support.

“They believe in you more than you believe in yourself,” Elrokhsi said of the program’s leaders.

She sees herself staying in Nebraska after she completes her medical school training.

“Nebraska has grown on me,” said Elrokhsi, who was born in Libya. “UNMC is an incredible institution and to be able to do my medical training here is a privilege. To continue that here would be wonderful.”

Where Curiosity Becomes Purpose

June 7, 2024 by Katie Squier

Students Interested in Health Care Start Their Careers at UNO

By Robyn Murray

For Cami Bisson, it was a class called Introduction to Health Careers that got her started. Now a senior at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, Bisson discovered a career she’d never considered: genetic counseling.

“I was, like, wow, that is super interesting,” Bisson said, “to be able to know and understand how these [genetic] interactions unfold and are responsible for everything that goes on in our bodies every single day.”

When Bisson, a first-generation college student, first enrolled at UNO, she didn’t want to work in health care. Her mother is a medical assistant, and Bisson had seen the long hours she put in and how she sometimes took a second job to support her family. But when Bisson learned more about her options, she changed course.

“There was something about being in the medical field, of having a knowledge base and being able to share that with people, while also getting to hear other people’s perspectives and stories based on their experiences, that really drew me in,” Bisson said.

Bisson is just the kind of student Nebraska needs. The state is facing a severe shortage of health care professionals. From physicians to dentists, pharmacists to occupational therapists, counties across the state are in dire need. As the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s closest partner by proximity, UNO plays an essential role in tackling this challenge by providing foundational STEM classes and a path to a health professions education. But that can be a tall order, because pursuing a career in health care requires a lot — of education, money, time and, critically, confidence.

Financial support goes a long way; mental support goes a long way, because it’s a long process for students who are thinking of pursuing higher education beyond the college level.

Winnie Ladu

“It’s intense,” said Paul W. Denton, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology at UNO. “The competition is very high to get into health care, and students feel the pressure even before they walk onto campus. They wonder if one mistake can remove their potential.”

Denton said one setback can get in the way of a student completing their undergraduate degree before they’ve even had a chance to get into their health care training program. That is particularly true for first-generation college students, who may not have support networks at home or resources to draw from. He recalled a student whose car was totaled after she was rear-ended. She couldn’t afford to replace it, so she struggled to get to class.

“It’s heartbreaking to see somebody who, if something bad happens, can’t get themselves out of that hole,” Denton said. “It can change their trajectory completely.”

Ensuring pre-health students receive the support they need to succeed is a top priority for the College of Arts and Sciences in Only in Nebraska: A Campaign for Our University’s Future.

Denton said an emergency fund would go a long way to supporting pre-health students. One resource currently on campus is shepherding pre-health students through graduation. The Urban Health Opportunities Program, which is partly supported by private donations, offers full tuition assistance, wraparound support and guaranteed entry to UNMC if program requirements are met. For students like Winnie Ladu, a pre-health senior at UNO, UHOP made all the difference.

“Financial support goes a long way, mental support goes a long way,” Ladu said. “Because it’s a long process for students who are thinking of pursuing higher education beyond the college level.”

Ladu is the daughter of South Sudanese immigrants and aims to attend UNMC in the fall with plans to become a physician. She said the South Sudanese community in Omaha will celebrate with her.

“I think it’ll be a great accomplishment for not only myself, but for all of us,” Ladu said, “because we all hold each other up.”

As a physician, Ladu hopes to serve the South Sudanese community in Omaha as well as other refugee and immigrant groups. She believes she will connect with them as a health care provider who shares their background. Diversity in the health care workforce is another critical need, as Nebraska’s demographics continue to change.

“Studies have clearly shown that when you train someone from a community and they return to that community, the payback is awesome,” said Paul Davis, Ph.D., professor of biology and the director of the Health Careers Resource Center, which manages UHOP. “The community feels more connected, the individual patient feels connected to their provider, and providers are able to give back beyond just their day job. Those things really move the peg.”

Davis said, as the state’s metropolitan university, UNO draws people from various backgrounds, which is particularly helpful to address the health care shortage but also means students enter UNO at all levels of preparedness.

“The undergraduate university experience is really where it should all come together,” Davis said. “The goal of coming to a place like UNO is to help bring everyone up to the same level, so that by the time they leave they’re ready for the challenges.”

Davis said he wants to ensure UNO’s STEM education continues to excel, and he hopes to reach more students earlier. Denton works with UNO students who serve as STEM mentors in Omaha’s public schools, which he said pays dividends.

“If you try to engage students at the college level and they’ve already convinced themselves that they can’t do math, or that they’re not a science person, you can’t really reach them,” Denton said.

“I think we need to help build our K12 students up even before they get to UNO, because we might bring some students to campus who otherwise would never have created a shadow on our door.”

Trustees Provide Essential Support for STEM Education

A Q&A with Ruth Scott, one of the most transformational and generous donors in University of Nebraska history

At a recent foundation event, you spoke about the “joy of giving.” What gives you joy in your philanthropy, and how does that guide your decisions?

What are a couple of your favorite stories regarding philanthropic investments you have made at the university?